Automated teller machines (ATM's) are known in the prior art. Banking customers may access their accounts using a magnetically encoded card. Generally the customer will insert their card into the ATM which will correlate the identifying information encoded on the card with a personal identification number provided by the customer. This verifies the customer's identity to the computer system which operates the machine. Thereafter the customer may use the ATM to conduct banking transactions as well as to check the status of various accounts that they have with the financial institution. When all the transactions and inquiries are completed, the customer will receive his card back from the ATM along with one or more receipts documenting the transactions performed.
As more people conduct their banking transactions electronically using ATM's, there is a need to provide more information concerning the status of their accounts. Customers often want to know, for example, what checks have cleared and/or what other deductions and/or charges may have been applied against their accounts. Customers may also wish to obtain information about other services provided by the financial institution such as investments, retirement accounts or the terms available for loans.
It is usually not possible to print much information on a receipt that is provided by an ATM. This is because such receipts are usually fairly small in size and are much like a cash register tape. To provide all the information that customers want in a legible format, larger sheets are needed.
Given the space constraints within the interior of an automated teller machine, it has been difficult to obtain enough space to accommodate a printer that can print large sheets. Because ATM's must operate unattended for extended periods of time, a substantial quantity of paper is required. Large sheets of paper will consume valuable space within the automated teller machine and further complicate incorporating a suitable printing mechanism.
Other factors also present difficulties in attempting to use statement printers within an automated teller machine. Wide sheets of paper tend to pucker or become caught when fed into printers. This problem is complicated due to the confined space within an automated teller machine. As a result, properly threading the paper into a printer becomes a problem. A similar problem is the need to periodically change the ribbon cartridge on the printers. Due to the limited space and access, it is often difficult to properly align and secure a new print cartridge after the previous cartridge has been removed.
Other problems associated with large statement printers in automated teller machines involve the need to obtain the maximum useful life out of a printer cartridge and to compensate for the decrease in available ink as a printer cartridge is used. In addition, there is often no satisfactory means for monitoring when the gaper supply which is being used by a statement printer has reached a point where a replenishment is required. This task is particularly complicated because paper is used at different rates, and because stacks of paper are not necessarily uniform. This makes it difficult to determine when replenishment of paper is required.
Another problem with statement printers in automated teller machines involves providing a reliable cutting mechanism for cutting the paper after the statement has been printed. While cutting mechanisms are available, their size and complexity often makes it impractical to use them within an automated teller machine.
Thus there exists a need to provide a statement printer within an automated teller machine that overcomes the deficiencies and problems which have existed in the prior art.